US6451179B1ExpiredUtility

Method and apparatus for enhancing sidewall coverage during sputtering in a chamber having an inductively coupled plasma

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Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS INCPriority: Jan 30, 1997Filed: Jan 30, 1997Granted: Sep 17, 2002
Est. expiryJan 30, 2017(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:Zheng XuGongda Yao
H10W 20/056C23C 14/046C23C 14/345H01J 37/34C23C 14/165H01J 37/321C23C 14/35C23C 14/358H10P 14/44H01J 37/3488H01J 37/3211C23C 14/0036
53
PatentIndex Score
18
Cited by
108
References
32
Claims

Abstract

Increased sidewall coverage in a wetting layer for a substrate via or trench is achieved in an inductively coupled plasma chamber by sputtering relatively pure aluminum.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A process for sputter depositing material into a workpiece structure having a sidewall, comprising: 
       sputtering a target of a first metal which is at least 99.99% aluminum to form an underlayer comprising sputtered first metal on said workpiece; and  
       depositing a second metal layer on said underlayer, wherein said second metal layer has a different composition than said first metal, said second metal layer including aluminum and having a lower aluminum content than said first metal.  
     
     
       2. The process of  claim 1  wherein said underlayer is a wetting layer. 
     
     
       3. The process of  claim 1  wherein said second metal layer is an interconnect layer. 
     
     
       4. The process of  claim 1  wherein said second metal layer is formed of an aluminum alloy. 
     
     
       5. The process of  claim 4  wherein said underlayer formation is performed in a first chamber and said second metal layer depositing is formed in a second chamber separate from said first chamber. 
     
     
       6. The process of  claim 4  wherein said aluminum alloy includes copper. 
     
     
       7. The process of  claim 1  wherein said second metal layer depositing includes filling openings in the substrate with said second metal and planarizing said second metal layer. 
     
     
       8. The process of  claim 1  wherein said target material is at least 99.999% aluminum. 
     
     
       9. The process of  claim 1 , wherein said underlayer comprises a layer selected from the group consisting of a wetting layer, a seed layer, and a nucleation layer. 
     
     
       10. The process of  claim 1 , wherein said sputtering a target of a first metal is terminated prior to said depositing a second metal layer on said underlayer. 
     
     
       11. A process for sputter depositing material into a workpiece structure having a sidewall, comprising: 
       sputtering a target of a first metal which is at least 99.99% aluminum to form an underlayer comprising sputtered first metal on said workpiece;  
       depositing a second metal layer on said underlayer, wherein said second metal layer has a different composition than said first metal, said second metal layer having a lower aluminum content than said first metal; and  
       providing a gas which includes hydrogen to react with said sputtered target material to form a deposition material which includes aluminum hydride as said underlayer is formed.  
     
     
       12. A process for sputter depositing material into a via or channel of a workpiece, comprising: 
       providing a sputtering gas into a chamber;  
       sputtering a target of at least 99.99% aluminum to sputter target material toward a workpiece;  
       applying RF power to a coil to ionize a portion of said sputtered target material before it is deposited onto said workpiece;  
       wherein a wetting layer of said:ionized, sputtered target material is formed on said workpiece;  
       depositing in a second chamber a metal interconnect layer onto said wetting layer, said metal interconnect layer comprising a metal including aluminum, said metal having a lower aluminum content than said target material; and  
       planarizing said interconnect layer.  
     
     
       13. The process of  claim 12  further comprising providing a gas which includes hydrogen to react with said sputtered target material to form a deposition material which includes aluminum hydride as said wetting layer is formed. 
     
     
       14. The process of  claim 12  wherein said target material is at least 99.999% aluminum. 
     
     
       15. A process for sputter depositing material into an opening of a workpiece, said opening having a bottom and sidewalls, said process comprising: 
       sputtering a target of at least 99.99% aluminum material to sputter said target material toward a workpiece;  
       ionizing a portion of said sputtered target material before it is deposited onto said workpiece so that sputtered material is deposited in said opening on said bottom and sidewalls of said opening to form a wetting layer; and  
       depositing a second layer of deposition material on said wetting layer into said opening, said second layer of deposition material comprising aluminum having a purity less than that of said target.  
     
     
       16. The process of  claim 15  further comprising providing a gas which includes hydrogen to react with said sputtered target material to form a deposition material which includes aluminum hydride as said wetting layer is formed. 
     
     
       17. The process of  claim 16  wherein said hydrogen gas is provided at a pressure of 10-100 mTorr. 
     
     
       18. The process of  claim 15  wherein said target material is at least 99.999% aluminum. 
     
     
       19. A semiconductor fabrication system for sputtering multiple layers of materials onto a workpiece, the system comprising: 
       a first semiconductor fabrication chamber having plasma generation area within said chamber and a target of a first target material of at least 99.99% aluminum;  
       a coil carried by said chamber and positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to ionize said first target material prior to deposition onto said workpiece to form a wetting underlayer on said workpiece;  
       an RF generator coupled to said coil to provide RF power to said coil; and  
       a second semiconductor fabrication chamber;  
       said second chamber having a second target of a different composition than said first target material, to form a second layer of said second target material on said wetting underlayer, said second target material including aluminum, said second target material having a lower aluminum content than said first target material; and  
       a transfer robot for transferring a workpiece having a wetting layer of said first target material from said first chamber to said second chamber for forming a second layer of said second target material onto said wetting underlayer.  
     
     
       20. The system of  claim 19  wherein said first chamber contains a gas which includes hydrogen to react with said sputtered first target material to form a deposition material which includes aluminum hydride as said wetting underlayer is formed. 
     
     
       21. The system of  claim 19  wherein said first target material is at least 99.999% aluminum. 
     
     
       22. The system of  claim 19  wherein said second target material comprises aluminum and copper. 
     
     
       23. A process for sputter depositing material onto a workpiece structure having an opening at least partially defined by a sidewall, comprising: 
       sputtering a target which is at least 99.99% aluminum to form sputtered material in an atmosphere including hydrogen and argon;  
       ionizing a portion of said sputtered material;  
       depositing a first layer comprising said ionized sputtered material in said opening;  
       depositing a second layer on said first layer in said opening.  
     
     
       24. The process of  claim 23 , wherein said hydrogen gas is provided at a pressure of 10-100 mTorr. 
     
     
       25. The process of  claim 23 , wherein said argon gas is provided at a pressure of 2-10 mTorr. 
     
     
       26. The process of  claim 23 , wherein said first layer includes aluminum hydride. 
     
     
       27. The process of  claim 23 , wherein said entire sidewall is covered by said first layer. 
     
     
       28. The process of  claim 23 , wherein said second layer has a different composition than said first layer. 
     
     
       29. The process of  claim 28 , wherein said second layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum and copper. 
     
     
       30. The process of  claim 23 , wherein said second layer comprises aluminum having a lower purity than that of said first layer. 
     
     
       31. A semiconductor fabrication system for sputtering multiple layers of materials onto a workpiece, the system comprising: 
       a first semiconductor fabrication chamber having a plasma generation area within said chamber;  
       said first chamber having a target of a first target material of at least 99.99% aluminum;  
       a coil carried by said first chamber and positioned to couple energy into said plasma generation area to ionize said first target materialism form an underlayer comprising said first target material on said workpiece;  
       a second semiconductor fabrication chamber; and  
       said second chamber having a second target of a second target material which comprises aluminum, to form a layer on said underlayer, said second target material having a lower aluminum content than said first target material.  
     
     
       32. The system of  claim 31 , wherein said second target material further comprises copper.

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